DoseOptics announces a radiotherapy verification camera and software system for radiation oncology clinics to capture real time video of each treatment. The oncology team can use this during treatment to monitor and ensure radiation delivery is given as intended and provide a record of treatment for the patient and doctor. C-Dose™ RESEARCH is available for purchase [press release].

Cancer Treatment As We Know It

Radiation therapy is an essential component of cancer care, received by over 14 million people a year (50% – 60% of total cancer patients). The capabilities available for clinicians to localize and deliver precise amounts of radiation to specific anatomies have improved dramatically over recent years. However, errors in radiation delivery do occur. Major errors are estimated at near 0.2% (1 out of 500) of treatments, and minor errors are likely to occur much more frequently. The consequences can range from skin burns to tissue damage to death.

External Beam Radiation Therapy (EBRT) Is A “Blind” Procedure

To perform EBRT, patients are aligned and imaged via CT. Treatment plans are generated and verified at the instrument before treatment starts. EBRT is a highly precise treatment with little room for error. However, routine verification of the radiation delivery is not typically done because the technologies and techniques are either inaccurate, too time consuming, or otherwise impractical to use as a regular check. While generally considered safe, it is also often referred to as a “blind” procedure since it is impossible to see the treatment as it occurs on the patient…until now.

The Breakthrough

DoseOptics co-founder, Dr. Brian Pogue, in collaboration with others and his laboratory at the Thayer School of Engineering at Dartmouth College, has developed a way to visualize EBRT using Cherenkov radiation. Cherenkov is electromagnetic radiation emitted when a charged particle (such as an electron) passes through a dielectric (able to be polarized) medium at a speed greater than the phase velocity of light in that medium. This gives off a glow that can be detected – for example, the characteristic blue glow of an underwater nuclear reactor. It is named after Soviet scientist Pavel Cherenkov, the 1958 Nobel Prize winner.